Saving Lives
Changing Lives

Decades of complex and protracted conflicts, combined with a changing climate, gender inequalities, rapid urbanization, underemployment and the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic pose considerable challenges in efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and improved nutrition. 

Over half of the country’s population lives below the poverty line, and food insecurity is on the rise, largely due to conflict and insecurity cutting off whole communities from livelihood opportunities. A total 15.8 million people are acutely food insecure, including hundreds of thousands who have been displaced by conflict since the beginning of the year. 

Undernutrition is of particular concern in women, children, displaced people, returnees, households headed by women, people with disabilities and the poor. Despite progress in recent years, undernutrition rates are now increasing and 2 million children are malnourished.

Every year, some 250,000 people on average are affected by a wide range of environmental disasters including floods, droughts, avalanches, landslides and earthquakes. The impact of disasters and dependency on water from rain or snowmelt severely limit the productivity of the agricultural sector, which provides a source of income for 44 percent of the population. 

Present in Afghanistan since 1963, the World Food Programme (WFP) works with partners to ensure that, in line with humanitarian principles, assistance reaches conflict- and disaster-affected populations wherever they are. WFP also supports transformative actions that strengthen the resilience and livelihoods of individuals and communities – with a special focus on women – and support local economies, thus contributing to the long-term development and stability of the country.

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What the World Food Programme is doing in Afghanistan

Emergency response
In the context of ongoing conflict and frequent natural disasters, WFP provides unconditional, fortified and nutritionally-balanced food assistance to vulnerable groups including people displaced by conflict, those affected by disasters, refugees, returnees from neighboring countries, and people affected by seasonal food insecurity.
Resilience building
WFP works together with communities to strengthen their ability to reduce the risk of disasters and adapt to climate change, while also creating employment opportunities both in urban and rural areas. This includes constructing or rehabilitating roads, canals, flood protection walls and reforestation, as well as vocational training.
Nutrition
WFP provides nutritional support tailored according to age, gender and vulnerability. In 2022, WFP has assisted 23 million people so far. Our targeted supplementary feeding programme assisted over 500,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and over 1 million children under 5 suffering from or at risk of malnutrition.
Food systems
WFP is working with the Government and commercial partners to provide people throughout the country with access to nutritious food at affordable prices by supporting smallholder farmers, building local milling and fortification capacity, and strengthening value chains and food safety measures.
Advocacy for zero hunger
WFP supports government officials and partners in establishing zero hunger as a development priority and enhancing the coherence of their Zero Hunger policy through capacity strengthening, advocacy, public awareness and research, including the creation of Food Security and Nutrition committees at the province level to promote local ownership.
Capacity strengthening
To enhance the ability of the Government and the broader humanitarian and development community to respond to affected populations’ needs, WFP assists with the provision of assistance in beneficiary management, supply chain, information and communication technology, and facilities and information management.

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In focus

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Operations in Afghanistan

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Contacts

Office

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Kabul
Afghanistan

Phone
If you wish to share feedback or report a problem related to food assistance, please call (tollfree): 0790555544 (Sun-Thu, 8 am-4 pm) or email us at wfp.afg@wfp.org
Fax
+8707 63 089563 / Sat 1331-2513 (7807)
Email
WFP.Kabul@wfp.org
For media inquiries
philippe.kropf@wfp.org
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